On Saturday 5 July, Wilson Lam, 36, and Hannah Lam, 31, from Northolt in North West London are taking on the Pedal Paddle Peak challenge in the Lake District, which involves a 34km cycle, 3km canoe paddle and 17km hike to the peak of Helvellyn mountain.
The couple are doing the challenge in support of their son Lance, 4, who lives with the progressive muscle wasting condition, Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Joined by six close friends and family, to create two teams of four, they are fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy UK – the leading charity for the 110,000 adults and children in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions. They have currently raised £3,920.
Fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy UK is something that is close to Wilson and Hannah’s hearts, after their eldest son Lance was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy last summer.
Wilson said:
“Lance was a bit delayed in hitting some development milestones like crawling and walking. We were always wondering about his balance and if that was causing the issues, so we took him to a physio who mentioned that his calves were slightly large for his age and suggested that we take him for some blood tests. We did the thing that so many people do in these situations – started googling symptoms and possible reasons, and then we organised blood tests straight away as we became so anxious. Two weeks after his fourth birthday, Lance was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.”
The family had never heard of Duchenne muscular dystrophy prior to Lance’s diagnosis so it came as a real shock. Hannah said:
“The rest of the family have been very supportive, each taking time to learn about the condition and keep up to date with all things Duchenne. Although, like us, they still can’t believe it’s really happening to Lance.
“On a day-to-day basis, we can see Lance limiting himself during playtime and school activities, maybe not joining in for the more physical games. He gets tired from short journeys, and we know that he can sense he’s different to his younger brother. But he’s such a sweet boy and loves to get involved with everything. He’s turning five two weeks after we take part in this challenge event, and like lots of kids his age, his favourite things are T-Rex dinosaurs and fire trucks!”
Pedal Paddle Peak is the first challenge Wilson and Hannah have taken on for charity and they are looking forward to spending the time with close friends and family.
Wilson said:
“I feel good about doing something for Lance. As parents, you can feel pretty helpless when your child receives a devastating diagnosis like this. We started looking for ways we could help, and supporting Muscular Dystrophy UK by doing this challenge seemed a great way to kick things off. I’m looking forward to pushing myself physically for the cause and using this time to create memories with the closest people around me.”
Hannah continued:
“Taking part in fundraising like this means a lot to us. There’s only so much we can do as parents aside from the physical and emotional support. By fundraising, we can make a difference collectively for new research into treatments and ensure everyone living with a muscle wasting condition gets the help they need. We’re also keen to raise awareness, not just of Lance’s condition, but the importance of accessibility in public spaces. We’re doing this for Lance and are so grateful for everyone’s support. Together we can make a difference.”
Aaron Fernandes, Challenge Events Manager at Muscular Dystrophy UK said:
“We’re so grateful to Wilson, Hannah, and their family and friends, for choosing to take on our Pedal Paddle Peak challenge in support of Lance. Thanks to fundraising like this, we can continue to fund groundbreaking research, improve understanding of muscle wasting conditions and support people across the UK.”
To support Wilson, Hannah and ‘Team Lance’, visit https://www.justgiving.com/
Pedal Paddle Peak – Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is taking place on 6 September. Find out more about this and other upcoming challenges at www.musculardystrophyuk.org/
Find out more about Muscular Dystrophy UK at musculardystrophyuk.org.
